Revolutionary War large iron ship spike recovered at Fort Haldimand, NY

This is another nice early piece coming out of a 60-year collection I am working on of Revolutionary War artifacts. It is an iron spike off of the hull of a ship. It measures 13” x 1” x 3/4” and weighs 2.2 pounds. It was recovered in the early 20^th century at Fort Haldimand, New York.

Located near the head of Carleton Island, Fort Haldimand was built in 1777 as a staging area for the British during the American Revolution. Molly Brant, a Mohawk leader who worked to keep the Iroquois Confederacy loyal to the British during the war, lived at Fort Haldimand for a time.

Fort Haldimand (1778-1812) - A British Revolutionary War fort initially established as Fort Carleton in 1778 under the supervision of Captain Thomas Aubrey on Carleton Island in Jefferson County, New York. Initially named for Sir Guy Carleton, Governor of Canada, and Commander of British forces in Canada. Renamed Fort Haldimand for Sir Frederick Haldimand, Carleton's replacement. Construction was halted in 1783 and the post was abandoned in 1812.

During the Revolutionary War it was the main British supply base at the head of Lake Ontario. It was built as a large stone and earthwork fort with some 30 guns. It remained unfinished at the end of the war and construction was halted.

Previously I had one of these spikes from this collection which came off of the hull of the sunken ship USS Ticonderoga. This is the same type of spike which was used to build the Ticonderoga. On the remains of that hull, you can see these spikes (see pictures). There is another one of these spikes in the Crown Point, NY Revolutionary War Museum (see pictures).

The spike remains in very nice condition, having overall rust, but no flaking or chipping and a light coat of varnish was applied for preservation. This collection began in the late 1950s and was created by private acquisitions, closed museums, and from lake divers. The collector meticulously displayed and cataloged every piece along with its provenance. His markings were crude at the time, but now they have proved to be very important. Many of the pieces went through electrolysis to remove crusted rust.

This is the first time this relic has been on the open market, and it is truly a great piece of early American History. It definitely merits a place in an advanced collection or museum. As with all the pieces in this esteemed collection, a Certificate of Authenticity will be included.